nismo Vs base/sport

chii370

ok, im sure you have all read the billions of sites that have done the infamous 370z nismo reviews. You have probably all also been keen enough to notice they all "cleverly" pit it against its base/sport/touring brethren. Im by no means a professional car reviewer, but i know what im talkin about. The main problem with these stupid reviews is one key element, they have the car for about 1-3 days, track it, run the standard gauntlet of 0-60, handling, braking, blah blah blah we all know...... and they move on to the next car. I have been the fortunate owner of all but the touring model of the 370z. thats right, i started with a PG 2009 6MT base, then "upgraded" to a black 2009 6MT sport, and now the car i have is the red 2009 6MT Nismo.

first thing i would like to put to rest is this ******** rumor that the base and sport can romp the nismo both on a circuit and in a straight line. having owned all 3 cars for around 6k miles on each respectively...... no they do not. and trust me, by no means am i justifying my purchase of the nismo, since im just as quick to pick out its obvious flaws.

obviously, being 25, one of the first things i did was take the car to the track after they got some miles on them "4k or so". Im not a professional race car driver, so i cant consistently run +-.05 seconds of the same time every time, but i have a general idea of each car after the sum of each runs average.

The base and sport ran about the same, felt EXACTLY the same except for hte launch. sport seemed to actually start to move instead of sit and spin. but they consistently ran 13.6 average over and over again with a few shitty runs of about 13.8.

This is where im surprised every time by reviewers. I ether A: have a freak nismo, or B: actually know how to drive...... because the nismo gets 13.4s on average if i get a good launch. 2 problems i noticed, you CAN NOT launch the cars the same, the nismo will not squat down, transfer weight and dig in unless you really heated the tires OR your running softer ones "im running
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A * Rear: 285/35R19
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: (99Y)Load Index 99 = 1709lbs (775kg) per tire
Speed Rating "(Y)" = 186+mph (300kph)
UTQG: Treadwear: 140
Traction: A
Temperature: A
140 A A
which is not stock, but is also not a whole lot different ether. but if you dump it in the 4800-5k range like the sport of base you will just sit still and spin...... FOREVER. and you will destroy your run. But if you ease off the line "looks lame BTW" and then just power out, it goes. trust me. The nismo is a lot more responsive with the throttle more "snappy" is a good way to put it. my old sport and base had this weird lag time when you smashed it to the floor, but the nismo does not.

As far as the circuit track goes? honestly i think its all down to driving style. you cant be *** aggressive with a car that has such a stiff suspension and weighs 3400lbs, this isnt a lotus exige its got a fat ***. so honestly? its ability to lean and sway more with the loose "er" suspension on the base and sport is an advantage IF YOUR TRYING TO DRIVE THEM THE SAME WAY. you cant get in a corvette and take a corner expecting it to handle like your WRX, ok so thats a big difference. but a difference is a difference, and to accurately say one is better then the other you have to first drive them correctly or at least take the time to learn the car. And thats something these reviews have not done, 3 days and your still learning to shift it right....... thats a far jump off from "knowing" the car.

I hate my suspension on every day road driving, and sometimes find myself wishing i could go back. But thats pretty much the only thing about it i dont like. Every other aspect has been an improvement. And i think once time wears on and more people just get there own damn car, instead of listening to some over paid twat on motor trend to tell them a car is good or not, i believe the nismo will start to shine more.

ok, so you dont get all the bells and whistles of the others in the nismo.... but what do you want? a nicer looking car with slightly higher performance? or a comfort mobile? personal :P being 25 i choose the first lol, but not everyone likes that so maybe a nice touring model is for you. there all beautiful cars, and im not real sure why its competing against itself lol. so can we just all get along? hop in our Z, and go chase down some lame mustangs, camaros, and challengers?

like i said, non professional review/opinion from a non professional owner of all 3 cars.

GZ3

Only if you plan on keeping your Nismo stock forever vs other base/sport pkge stock forever Z's would this even have a little merit. Its the SAME ENGINE with a little more free flowing exhaust and a light tune. Its a drivers race man, SORRY... There also plenty of WAAY better exhausts and suspension mods out there than can be had then what the NISMO is equipped with...they are on the same playing field...like it or not... you paid a ton of extra cash for for sup par exhaust, tune, suspension tweaks. Most people who REALLy want to turn the Z into an all out track car dont go for the Nismo, they get a base and build...

__________________
09 GT-R
12' 370Z 7AT HANDED DOWN
12'+13' 5.0 SOLD

Cell

Don't be ignorant about it. Just about ALL nismo owners bought the nismo because of the different look, not the exhaust, tune and suspension tweak. Just about all of us can care less for the exhaust, tune and suspension tweak.

People that plan to heavily mod the exterior should buy a base or touring and those who aren't modding the exterior has the option to buy the nismo. I love how the nismo looks. It is ten times better looking than the base. Of course looks is very subjective. Not just that but I and many other Z owners would never go for aftermarket body kits considering all the fitment issues you get. Nothing beats factory fit and finish.

I also had a chance to drive a base/auto with sports package. The feel is totally different from the nismo when it comes to turning and handling. As for the auto transmission, that thing is horrid with it's 2 second delay in response.

GZ3

Not being ignorant, just real about it. Its a nice looking body kit, i'll agree, but there are plenty of aftermarket companies that have exceptional fitment on body kits...this is not specific to the NISMO's body kit. Never drove the auto so can really comment on that. But other than the #plate, the exhaust, tune, bodykit, suspension tweaks...its still a 370Z nothing special out of the ordinary...all the above listed that make the nismo what it is can be had for thousands less and better performing. Its not like there is a real substatial difference in the car like there was in the 350z vs 350z Nismo where it actually had re enforced body panels and frame structuring...NO...just add ons to a normal 370z

__________________
09 GT-R
12' 370Z 7AT HANDED DOWN
12'+13' 5.0 SOLD

Cell

Just like I said though, none of us cared for the performance that we got from the nismo. We all know it is minimal. Aftermarket parts can increase performance by much more. We all know that.

I only paid about 6k more over base+sport for the great rims and body kit. Just going aftermarket for great rims +tires + body kit + painting + lowering it just to make it look right cost way more than 6k. 6k is worth it for me for a better looking car. If it was 15k more for all that then I would of never bought a nismo and just gotten a corvette.

Nismoracer

13.4 average in the 1/4 and that's bone stock no drop ins nothing? Well that's bout right with a good launch. I agree the Nismo feels different than a regular Z. I drove an auto with the paddle shifters and for some reason the engine noise was way louder than the Nis. Don't know why. I can't get to the track as much any more but I do have a Gtech pro. Like you said if you get a good launch feather the clutch it goes. My best 0-60 4.9 sec. My average 5.3 sec. Still trying to master the little things to know how she likes it. I raced a non nismo rolling not from a dead stop. I smoked him bad, several car lengths. We went again, pulled ahead and stayed ahead. We went one more time he jumped ahead and I could not catch him. I noticed he had no mufflers on. It wasn't that loud. I thought it would be way louder with no muffs.

Nikkolai

The reason that it was substantial on the 350Z is because of the body from factory. The 370's whole chassis rigidity has been increased compared to the 350Z so there was no need to go extra on a Nismo model.

Shamu

I bought my new 2010 Nismo for $36K last week. That was over $4K under MSRP. I had been looking at used Porsche Cayman S and BMW 135i. The Nismo was far better value and the car feels more like a purpose built track going car than any of these other cars.

Clearly the dealers have ability to discount Nismo's a little more than standard models. I'm not sure what average discount on standard 370Z has been but no way could I have bought a Standard 370Z and did all the modifications my Nismo has for cost difference. Additionally Nismo team designed and tested all components together to put the entire car together. It shows in the Nismo's out of the box handling. I ont have to mess with the car at all. Probably one of the first cars I have owned where thats been the case.

Im also financing that additional cost over standard car with 3.75% loan. Not spending money out of pocket. And anyone who thinks upgrades are all trouble free are fooling themselves. I have enough experience with after market suspension systems, body upgrades, etc to know there are always potential issues to deal with. Resale of an aftermarket modded car is not going to be good either.

I dont like the catfish whisker face of the standard Z and I like all the styling cues of the Nismo. Also consider that if you were to total your car its unlikely your insurance will ever pay you for all the additional add ons on a standard 370Z. Youre going to get settlement in most cases for cost of a standard 370Z.

Overall this car at mid thirty K range is an awesome deal. I'm still grinning! Warning suspension in the Nismo isnt for sissies! I love it!

Nizmo0533

people aways put the nismo sticker on the base model ^_^ why?? because they want a nismo !

mick

imo, let's say you are cruising in a base model and enjoying the scenery and suddenly, a nismo model appears on the next lane. if you don't feel anything then the base model is what you should get since it makes no difference to you, visually speaking

GZ3

when i see in nismo cruise by me, i usually say "damn thats a sexy ride"...but for me i want to have a hand in customizing my Z in every aspect...so not getting the nismo was the obvious choice for me

__________________
09 GT-R
12' 370Z 7AT HANDED DOWN
12'+13' 5.0 SOLD

GZ3

.............. .....sorry, dont think so

__________________
09 GT-R
12' 370Z 7AT HANDED DOWN
12'+13' 5.0 SOLD

fuct

holy sh1t guys give it a break! another one of these threads???!!!

JACKPAC

There are a lot of threads these days of Nismo owners trying to justify their purchase. You never see a base model guy go on a rant about why he didn't want the Nismo!

fuct

you sure about that?